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Monday, May 18, 2015

Bay Area Vocalist Tiffany Austin Debuts June 2 With "Nothing But Soul"

Tiffany Austin Nothing But Soul One of the
fastest rising jazz singers in Northern California, with a tradition-rooted yet
thoroughly modern style, Tiffany Austin brings a wealth of experience to her
debut CD Nothing But Soul, scheduled for June 2 release by her Con Alma Music
label.

The Los Angeles
native, currently based in Berkeley, worked with producer Howard Wiley to adapt
and expand on her November 2013 SFJAZZ "Hotplate" concert for which
she reimagined compositions by the great American songwriter Hoagy Carmichael.
Nothing But Soul is made up of six Carmichael tunes -- "Baltimore Oriole,"
"Stardust," "Skylark," "I Get Along Without You Very
Well," "Georgia on My Mind," and "Sing Me a Swing Song (And
Let Me Dance)" -- as well as two non-Carmichael numbers that he recorded
as a vocalist: Henry Sullivan and Harry Ruskin's "I May Be Wrong (But I
Think You're Wonderful)"; Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line"; and
"Tête-à-Tête," a wordless a cappella duet by Austin and Wiley based
on the chord changes of Charlie Parker's "Confirmation." Tiffany was
joined for the recording by bassist Ron Belcher, drummer Sly Randolph, pianist
Glen Pearson, and producer Howard Wiley on tenor saxophone.

"Hoagy is
a treasure trove of classics," says Austin. "When I looked at his
catalog, I realized that I'd been hearing, singing, and even piano-plunking
away at his tunes for a great chunk of my life -- 'Heart and Soul,' for
instance! I wanted to share that wonder of finding treasures in plain view with
other folks, while adding some other musical flavors to the recipe. It's also
fascinating to me that Hoagy achieved his law degree," adds Austin, who
earned her Juris Doctorate at the University of California Berkeley's Boalt
School of Law in 2012, "and still decided to pursue a career in music.
Whatever your calling is, there's something in your bones that tells you there
is nothing that will make you happier in life. And it takes a lot of courage to
follow it."

Tiffany Austin Born in Los Angeles, Tiffany
Austin studied classical voice while
attending Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. During her junior year
at Cal State Northridge, from which she would graduate with a B.A. in creative
writing in 2003, she went to England on an exchange program and began singing
in London clubs. After a brief stint back in Southern California, she moved to
Tokyo in early 2004 and spent the next five and a half years singing a variety
of music, including some pop, jazz, and gospel music, six nights a week.

"As I
worked in those styles I could hear a different quality coming out in my voice,
and I wanted to explore that further," says Austin, who also received
lyric writing commissions and recorded for television, film, and album projects
during this period.

"I also
fell in love with Japan, and when I left there it was with tears in my
eyes," she adds. "I was struck by how the artisans I met would not
settle for anything but the best of themselves and their craft, and would work
with such patient diligence. That work ethic resonated with me, and I find
myself summoning up memories of Japan when I brace myself for big
challenges."

In 2009, Austin
returned to the United States to attend U.C. Berkeley Law School, with an
emphasis in entertainment law and copyright. After graduation, she found
herself at a crossroad. "I could have gone into a law firm, which can be
rewarding, particularly if you're helping an underserved community, but my
calling has always been to do music," Austin says. "I don't just want
to make decisions based on money. I want to feel connected to my art and my
community. I want to really be in touch with my soul.

"Although
cliché, it's true," she continues, "that law school teaches you how
to think, how to work efficiently, how to teach yourself, and how to be
tenacious. Since graduating, I've started my own music company (Con Alma
Music), put together my album, deepened the study of my crafts (vocalist,
lyricist, songwriter), and began independently studying harmony. I feel like every
bit of my education and experience has come together, in a marvelously unlikely
way, to make me an artist."

In Northern
California Tiffany has appeared at the SFJAZZ Center, Yoshi's in both Oakland
and San Francisco, the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco, and the
Healdsburg Jazz Festival, and in January 2014 traveled to New York to perform
with choreographer Nicole Klaymoon's Embodiment Project at Jazz at Lincoln
Center. Besides working with innovative local bandleaders Marcus Shelby and Howard
Wiley, Austin has sung with the bands Orgone and MoonCandy, and has recorded
with, among others, Orgone, The Monophonics, The Droptones, and on UnderCover
Presents Sly and the Family Stone's Stand! tribute project.

The CD release
concert for Nothing But Soul will take place at the SFJAZZ Center's Joe
Henderson Lab on Friday 6/12. Shows are at 7:00pm and 8:30pm, and tickets are
$25. Other upcoming shows are scheduled for 7/17 at the Red Poppy Art House in
San Francisco, and 8/29 at the Sound Room, Oakland.